Bridgestone Americas Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone Corp., has completed its Agro Operations Guayule Research Farm in Eloy, Ariz. The research farm will supply guayule biomass for rubber production at the company’s BioRubber Process Research Center, which is currently under construction in Mesa, Ariz.

Ten years ago, you could buy a decent steer tire for $300. Not anymore. But, then again, you're not buying the same tire anymore either.
Long-term pricing trends show that the cost of raw materials used in tire manufacturing has gone up over the past decade, along with the shelf prices for tires, but consumers haven't seen the price swings for tires that manufacturers have seen for materials over the same period of time.

Although we're in no danger of running short of our primary source of natural rubber, prices have risen dramatically over the past 10 years, contributing to rising prices for tires. Several tire makers are researching other sources of rubber.

Consortium partners Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Yulex Corp., Arizona State University, and the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture met recently to review initial progress on their $6.9 million Biomass Research and Development Initiative grant from the USDA and the U.S. Department of Energy.

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